This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA.
Patients come to the hospital expecting to be safe from harm. So when a patient suffers from an avoidable accident or death while hospitalized, healthcare workers want to make sure that changes are put in place so it can’t happen again. Serious incidents are reported to JCAHO, also known as The Joint Commission, which is the accrediting agency for hospitals.
When JCAHO comes to survey a hospital after a sentinel event, do we as healthcare workers get to have input on what changes would help avoid future incidents? Sadly, no, instead we just get harassed for having our water bottles at the nurses’ station.
Healthcare workers want to see real changes to our workplace, such as better staffing and more CNAs. JCAHO just leaves us with a “corrective action plan” that always consists of more charting and paperwork, taking us farther from our patients’ sides and leaving them even more vulnerable to harm. Healthcare workers want to keep our patients safe, but we need the right tools, not just endless charting!
Click here to read the article printed in the 03-26-25 Healthcare Newsletter
